Inside the Nen space—
Two people with identical features engaged in their usual sparring match. These two are the Komacine siblings, and they had been fighting for weeks without a proper break. Despite the accumulated fatigue, each strike remained precise and deadly.
"This should be enough."
Seeing her progress, the black-haired boy Ron decided to end the match.
"Huh?"
Unfortunately, Machi heard him too late. She couldn't stop on time. But Ron reacted, his body leaned back, avoiding her kick, and even seized the opening to drive a straight punch into her shoulder.
The aura protecting her body flickered and vanished.
Machi gasped for air and staggered backward, collapsing on her knees. She winced in pain and scowled at him.
"Was that encounter necessary!? You could have avoided it!"
Ron shrugged her off by saying,
"Sorry, it reacted on instinct."
It was an instinctive reaction? Clearly intentional!
Machi wasn't buying it but didn't pursue the matter. She relaxed her posture and sighed deeply, staring at Ron expectantly; she asked.
"Anyway, how is my progress compared to before?"
Ron paused for a moment, evaluating her performance.
"I'd say it's not so bad. However, you could barely keep up with me at 0.7%."
Machi rolled her eyes and stood akimbo.
"That part was unnecessary—braggart! Besides, the amount of aura doesn't dictate the match—that's what you said."
Ron smiled wryly.
"Well, it's true... Battle is subjective—
While the outcome isn't entirely decided by the amount of aura, reserves still matter. More reserves mean longer endurance in a Nen battle.
Physical and mental states are also important. Since they affect judgment, you could lose a battle you were winning."
Machi scoffed but said nothing.
Normally, he would spoil her with everything. But when she asked him to learn Nen, Ron insisted on continuing his physical training first. But according to him, she started training since she was eight months old.
Why?
Ron wanted to reach her physical peak first, in order to maximize potential and avoid early growth limits.
Machi understood his intention, but—
Ron shrugged her off and casually sat down. He hesitated for a moment, but considering it was the perfect time to bring up the topic...
"Machi, I'm thinking of leaving MeteorCity tomorrow.
I already have a plan in mind, and I just need to talk to the elders about our departure."
Ron carefully observed her reaction. Machi only raised an eyebrow.
"Leaving?—Then we can leave. I don't see the problem.
Why do you have to report it to me? "
Was it really this easy?
His mouth fell open, forming a small "o." Ron hadn't expected it to go so smoothly—normally, there should be more demands.
Just to be certain, he asked again.
"Are you sure you're not against my decision?"
Machi nodded repeatedly.
"Yes. Do you want me to disagree?"
Ron waved his hands, stammering.
"No! No! If you're fine with it, that's all I need to know. To be honest, I'd have been stressed thinking about what to do if you refused."
Feeling the tension in his chest ease, Ron sighed in relief.
The corner of Machi's lips curled into a mischievous smile as she feigned ignorance and asked,
"Why would I refuse? I'm not that excessive, am I?"
Ron hesitated, recalling how demanding she could be, and sighed inwardly. He reluctantly agreed.
Machi smiled meaningfully and didn't pursue the matter. She stretched her slender arms, sat beside him, and let her head slump against his shoulder.
"Brother, I'm sleepy... Let's take a rest."
Ron didn't think much of her intimate gesture.
In a harsh environment like this — a place with low moral standards, where people could die at any moment — he considered it normal.
Ron never had a sibling and was an orphan in his previous life. Despite the harsh condition, he placed great importance on Machi as his only blood relative.
With no prior experience, he considered some things between them simply normal interaction despite the odd intimacy.
A thin smile formed on her lips as he scooped her up in princess style and carried her to bed.
Machi turned to face him and whispered,
"Good night, brother."
Ron smiled and replied.
"Good night."
After a minute—
Machi, sleeping beside him, slowly opened her eyes, leaving a thin gap. She watched him sleep peacefully, then sat up on the bed and folded her arms.
"Same as usual. He always sleeps like a log..."
Ron didn't follow a strict schedule, but his life was systematic: sleep when it was time to sleep and wake when it was time to wake.
Machi moved carefully, adjusting her movements. Her lips curved into a doting smile as she gently brushed his forehead, trying to fix his hair.
"You only brought up the idea of going out today—truth be told, I've known some of your plans for ages, the ones you've kept hidden.
I didn't bother asking because I wanted you to tell me yourself—but look what we have here? "
She pinched his cheek lightly, grumbling,
"You didn't tell me a single thing—what a scoundrel! Although I said we shouldn't be secretive...
You deserved some punishment for dishonesty. Oops, maybe it's more like a reward for me~ Heh heh! "
Machi giggled and did the unthinkable only she would dare, something Ron would never know. With his strict sleep schedule, he wouldn't wake for the next eight hours.
The next morning—
Oblivious, Ron woke up feeling an ache in his waist as if someone had put an anvil there when he slept yesterday but simply dismissed the pain.
Ron held a silver pocket watch as he stared at the pile of garbage that had been their house.
Making up his mind, he threw an ignited lighter. The flames erupted quickly, sending ashes into the sky alongside thick, grey smoke as the fire devoured the structure down to cinders.
Once the last of it disappeared, only Ron decided to leave.
Though the house could be rebuilt anywhere using this method, it showed their resolve of no return.
After waking far away—
Ron crouched and picked up a can of beer. With his other hand, he drew a circle with scribbles on the ground, visible only to him.
Upon opening the can, a faint "fresh" scent hit his nose. Pouring the contents out, he muttered to himself.
A thousand journeys begin with a single step... We've been through a lot, and now we're ready to seize what the world has to offer.
Feeling determined, Ron tightened his fist and tossed the can aside. It bounced several times before crashing into the stagnant water, sending small ripples across the surface.
Behind the mound of garbage where the can landed, a bulky, tanned-skinned man watched him with interest. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he silently slipped out of sight.
"Was it a coincidence, or did he notice me? Heh... interesting."
Once the figure disappeared, Ron glanced sideways at the mound.
"A sneaky rat from the mafia. Did he think I wouldn't notice his movement these past few days?
Should I do them a favor and eliminate him?"
The thought didn't last long before Ron dismissed the idea.
"No, that can wait. I think they still have a purpose. I'll need them for that."
***
[Kirimori Valley]
Ron rode the bus to the small town—MistyTown—and got off. Instead of heading straight for the houses, he took a detour, navigating a secret passage inside a cave before reaching the pathway that led to MistyForest.
True to its name, the forest was shrouded in thick, twilight fog, swirling around a massive tree at its center.
To Ron's eyes, the fog seemed almost alive, spinning in a perfect circle like the eye of a storm. From a distance, it could easily be mistaken for a stationary typhoon, but he knew better—the phenomenon was the residual aura, a lingering Nen, saturating the entire forest.
According to local lore...
Thousands of years before MeteorCity was established, the valley was said to have been inhabited by a god. The stories claimed he once blessed the place by planting a tree and assigning an ancient being to protect it.
Ron had heard the tale from wanderers: MistyForest was supposedly a trial set up by the god, granting eternal life to anyone who could survive it.
Many dismissed the story as a hoax or simple entertainment. But some claimed it was real.
One desperate woman named Kaguya was terrified of dying and apparently had entered the forest, determined to take the risk.
Since she was already near death, there was nothing left to lose. The wanderer who accompanied her never returned, and neither did she — at least, that's how the story went.
After several months—
The woman reportedly returned alone, alive, claiming the tales were true. People were skeptical—some intrigued, others wary of her identity. Many thought she had been dead for years, while others whispered she might be a witch in disguise, trying to lure them.
Attempts were made to kill her, but they failed. With no way to execute her, she was imprisoned—only to vanish mysteriously the next day, sparking another round of stories.
Was immortality real?
To some, it seemed possible. After all, she had been sick and pale, almost near death, and yet here she was.
Rumors about MistyForest and the so-called immortal woman became a daily topic. Some began to believe in the god and the legend of eternal life, while the majority dismissed them as nonsense.
Still, human greed is persistent. A few dared to take on the trial, gambling with their lives—yet no word returned from them.
The remaining residents assumed the others had succeeded and chose not to go back. Some speculated they were enjoying a heavenly life but still remained cautious. To them, MistyForest was cursed, inhabited by a witch, and deadly to all who entered.
Several years had passed...
An invasion reshaped the lands, and new nations were born. With the establishment of strict hierarchies, ruthless nobles separated royal blood from commoners.
The current king believed those outside the royal line were undeserving of his empire, casting them out into a vast wasteland to die. Over time, they settled in a place that would later become a garbage dump — the foundation of what would be known as MeteorCity.
Still, the tale persisted, though details had grown vague.
Some said the god was dead; others claimed he had vanished from everyone in the area. The truth could no longer be verified.
Regardless, no one dared to enter MistyForest — though the nearby town remained inhabited.
***
Ron stared at the lingering residual nen in the forest, murmuring to himself,
The tale isn't entirely false—but more than half of it is exaggerated. There's no god at the center, just a vitality tree once guarded by an ancient being. The tree produces fruit for those who pass the trial, but there's a catch...
He recalled the story of a woman named Kaguya, who devoured the only fruit.
The tree cursed humans for eternity: vines wrapped around them like a mummy, leaving everyone in a state between life and death as nurishment.